Art at MPPL

Public Art

What is public art? It is a work of art created by an artist for a specific public space. Public art has the power to energize a community, arouse our thinking, and transform our environment into a more welcoming and beautiful place.

Many thanks to the Friends for their generous gift of Raku pottery. The hand-thrown and carved pottery, set along the mantle of the main stairs near the Fiction/AV/Teen Desk, is the work of Wisconsin resident Don Hunt. Hunt, a former high school teacher, has done numerous permanent art installations and renovations. The Raku process is exciting and spontaneous. The unique and unpredictable patterns of color are created in the post-fire reduction process. This process creates a varied metallic, matte, and crackle-glazed personality for each pot.

This whimsical mural captures the inquisitive nature and imaginative play of young children interacting with animals and books. Casting his mind back to his own childhood, Greg Gove created an environment that draws the viewer into this world of wonder, where stories spark curiosity. Through the use of scale and the existing architectural elements, Greg introduced a sense of discovery and interaction to the mural. The doors form the trunks of the trees, the portals serve as props, and the life-sized children peek over and around the furniture. Incorporated into the piece is the little red wagon which played a seminal role in the Library’s history. During the depression of the 1930s, volunteer Stella Jones would walk through town pulling a little red wagon to collect donated books that would become the foundation of the Library’s first collection. This piece was made possible by the Friends of the Library, the Stella Jones Fund, and the Special Gift Fund.

What do you see? Birds? Kites? Or.?
Step up to the second floor of the Mount Prospect Public Library to see the newly installed TetraFoil mobile, specially designed to add beautiful form and exciting movement to the area above the stairs.
Designed by the artists and craftspeople of Guildworks in Portland, Oregon, this is a kinetic piece which includes 44 TetraFoils. Each TetraFoil delicately glides through the space using air currents and the surrounding energy. The interplay has been carefully orchestrated; Guildworks created a full scale model of the Library space in order to ensure the pieces could move freely. Marc Ricketts, Founder-Director of Guildworks, noted, "the piece has been designed to bring your eye skyward and pull your energy up. Our art is about beauty meeting design science. It is made with heart and imbued with a blissful spirit to create an uplifting experience." Beyond artistic, the piece is also a feat of engineering. Over 100 yards of spectra fiber cloth was hand-dyed and carefully selected to complement the Library's color scheme. The material has been sealed with a coating which protects it from dust and dirt, makes it fireproof, resists UV degradation, and is easy to clean. The struts are made from carbon fiber similar to the material used in bike frames.

There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration. Andrew Carnegie

We read to know we are not alone. C. S. Lewis

None is poor, save him that lacks Knowledge . The Talmud

Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future. Ray Bradbury

A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life. Henry Ward Beecher

Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimension. Oliver Wendell Holmes

Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have. Margaret Mead

In 2007 a permanent display of Village and Library photos was installed in the stairwell leading from the parking area to the first floor. The pictures span the early years of Mount Prospect through the opening of Randhurst in 1962.

The Board of Library Trustees in 2007 commissioned nationally acclaimed sculptor Erik Blome to create the Peace Sculpture to honor longtime reader and Library supporter Elizabeth J. Clough. The 800-pound stainless steel and bronze sculpture towers over 12 feet in the air in the Peace Garden at the corner of Emerson Street and Central Road. The base features a a stack of bronze books with the word peace inscribed in many languages. This stunning piece of art has become a landmark in the Village. The sculpture was purchased by the Elizabeth J. Clough Fund.

These unique handwoven metal tiles were inspired by the colors, textures, and forms found both in the ancient cultures and contemporary American crafts. A sense of spontaneity permeates the tiles as the eye floats from one end to the other. David Bacharach’s art graces an impressive array of public and corporate buildings and museums, including the White House, the American Embassy in Singapore, the American Craft Museum in New York, and the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles. Funding for these tiles was provided by the Friends of the Library.

A 450-pound turquoise bench, with a duck named Monty, lends a touch of whimsy to the Youth area and is a great meeting place for lost parents. Designed and executed out of steel by artist OK Harris of Albuquerque, NM, is a popular attraction for all ages. The bench was donated in 2007 by the Friends of the Library.

The uninterrupted flow of this tabletop sculpture expresses the foresight of former Library Trustee John W.A. Parsons. In the 1970s, under Mr. Parsons’ leadership, the Library Board made the critical decision to design the 1976 building with the type of support structure that would allow for future renovation and expansion of the Library, thereby ensuring the continuity of service from the Library’s present location. This piece was paid for by The Elizabeth J. Clough Fund.

The abstract tones that emanate from nature were the primary source of the artist’s inspiration in this piece. Sam Evans’ use of subtle tones draws the viewer in without sacrificing depth and perspective. Considered an interpretational piece, Celestial 2 invites passersby to bring their imagination into play – are they sports balls, planets, or something else? The whimsical feel of this painting makes it perfectly suited to its placement in the Youth department. Funding for this artwork was provided by The Friends of the Library.

Permanent Art

The permanent art collection includes art which has been donated to the Library, in memoriam or in recognition or celebration of a person or event. Such pieces enhance the Library’s ambiance and promote lifelong learning through the arts.